A computer operating system typically collects various instrumentation information related to the operating system, processes executing thereupon, and hardware upon which the operating system executes or interacts with. Examples of instrumentation information may include CPU loads, memory usage, temperatures, number of processes, or the like. The operating system may write the instrumentation information into a database for subsequent retrieval by the operating system or other computer programs. The Common Information Model (CIM) is a standard that describes how such information is represented, and provides mechanisms to control and manage the information. The Windows Management Instrumentation, by Microsoft Corporation, is an implementation of CIM. It provides an interface through which instrumented components provide information and notifications. A description of WMI is available One technique for querying WMI is to form strings that contain SQL queries, and pass the strings to a WMI API at runtime. In some cases, an error in such a string may not be identified until runtime.
A Web-based semantic store is a schematized database of information accessible over a network. A Web-based semantic store (WSS) may be self-describing, which enables a component to query the WSS for its schema, or a portion thereof. Freebase, available, is an example of a WSS available on the Internet. It provides categorized and typed information. Freebase is dynamic, and can be edited by many people.
Developing program code that interacts with schematized store may add complexity to the task of program development. Generally, during program development, it is desirable to detect errors at design time or compile time. However, some errors may be introduced that are not detected until the program is executed. Some libraries that assist in interfacing with a schematized store may be quite large. The size of a library may be detrimental to good program development or deployment.